Safe Drinking Water Theft Widespread In Monrovia

The Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation (LWSC) has disclosed that it is losing 75 percent of the six million gallons it pumps daily to Monrovia and its environs to theft and technical faults in its lines.

LWSC Managing Director Charles Allen made the disclosure Thursday at the Ministry of Information press conference held at the ministry on Capitol Hill in Monrovia..

He said despite the huge quantity of water pumped to the city and its environs, only six thousand consumers are legitimate, while 10,000 are not part of the corporation’s data though they have access to its service.

Meanwhile, Manager Allen has disclosed the finalization of a Bill that will criminalize water theft, and expressed optimism that its passage will reduce the growing wave of water theft and generate additional revenue for government.

Allen has also disclosed that the LWSC has launched the conduct of extensive community engagement block mapping and community awareness to reduce water theft. He noted that the corporation is working towards increasing its water supply to 16 million gallons by 2016 with an increase of at least 20,000 customers.

The Managing Director of the Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation (LWSC), Charles Allen, has attributed the increase in diarrhea, typhoid and similar diseases in the country to the intake of unsafe drinking water.

According to Allen, many communities in Monrovia and its environs are drinking water from unsafe sources, including wells and hand pumps, causing them to contract water-borne diseases.

Allen made the statement Thursday at the Ministry of Information press briefing held at the ministry on Capitol Hill in Monrovia.

He said some of the wells and hand-pumps residents use are not dug deep enough to the required water level, while others are connected to dump sites and sewage pipes, adding “when it rains the water falls into the very wells.”

Allen noted that the LWSC will be working in communities as part of its dry season plan to ensure that citizens get easy access to pure and safe drinking pipe-borne water.